Untitled
by Molly4
Summary: Alternate sequence from book #45. From Marco's POV, starting at the second page of chapter 4. I will continue if I get good reviews. Enjoy *CHAPTER 4 NOW UP*!
1. Default Chapter

This is an alternate kinda fic from book #45. It takes place right after Marco's dad gets the phone call. I'm working on two fanfics revolving around #45. This is a story where the details are changed and Marco does things differently. The next one will take place in the original timeline of the book. Please tell me if I make no sense.  
  
Anyway....I don't own Animorphs. And uh.....enjoy. More chapters later if I get good reviews. Starts off kinda bad, but it'll pick up.  
  
Untitled  
By: Molly  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I gently replaced the receiver and sighed. Russ had been a pretty good guy. A good thing he didn't have any kids though. They shouldn't have to deal with the loss of parent. Even I couldn't fake humor to get over it.  
  
Suddenly, a thought hit me, and instantly, I was wide awake. A call late at night, asking my dad to come over. How come they didn't wait until morning? How come they said 'we' and not I? I slapped my forehead. How stupid could I possibly be? My dad was next on the Yeerk's list for infestation.  
  
I had to do something. They had my mom. They couldn't take my dad. I needed...help...somebody....Jake. No, no, not Jake. If I called him, Tom might pick up. He's a pretty important Yeerk, and probably knows they're infesting Dad. A call this late at night could make him suspicious.  
  
Rachel! Yes, Rachel. When somebody wanted power, they called Rachel. I quickly dialed her number, nervously drumming my fingers on the top of my desk.   
  
Damn! Busy signal. What could I do? Who could I call? I couldn't call Cassie? She was over her cousin, Jackie's house.  
  
I had no plan of action, no way of stopping the Yeerks from stealing the most important person in my life. I sprinted out my bedroom door. I had to stop Dad from leaving.  
  
At the top of the stairs, I realized how stupid this was. What was I supposed to do? Run downstairs screaming, 'Daddy, Daddy, don't go?' No, there had to be some other way. I saw my dad at the computer, the soft glow of the screen hitting his face in an eerie way. I think he was crying. Maybe Russ was a good friend of his.  
  
'Focus, Marco, focus,' I ordered myself, silently, desperate for a plan.  
  
Dad stood up, and grabbed the keys to his car off the rack in the kitchen. Time was running down. I had to think. Had to come up with a plan. Bad dream? No, he'd never believe it. Desperately, I tried to formulate a plan in my head, but there was nothing. As he threw on his jacket, my mind screamed at me to do something. Anything.   
  
My heart beat a mile a minute. I wanted to run downstairs and stop him, but my legs refused to budge. Not without a plan. Nope, Marco always needed a plan.   
  
Dad opened the front door slowly, and was about to step out, when I did the only thing I could really do.  
  
I hurled myself down the stairs, feeling the pain, like a thousand sledge hammers pounding on my brain as my body hit each step, one by one, until I landed with a loud, 'thud,' on the living room floor.  
  
"Marco!" Dad's yell was the last thing I heard before everything went black.  
  
End of Chapter 1:  
  
I'm not sure if I should continue or not. Please tell me if you hated it or if you liked it. But, remember...please no flames!!  
  



	2. The Chat

Thanks for the good reviews! I was motivated to write the next chapter by them so I'll keep writin' and please keep reviewing.   
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Is he going to be okay?"  
  
I let out a small groan. My head throbbed. My eyelids felt like they were cemented shut. I recognized the voice as Dad's. Ah, now I remember. The stairs. The plunge. The yell.  
  
"He should be fine," another voice said. Probably a doctor. Didn't sound like anybody I knew. "He's taken quite a knock to the noggin though. Better stay in bed a couple of days."  
  
After a small struggle, I managed to get my eyes open. Yep, it was a hospital. Not much to look at it, but it did seem as if my dad went the extra mile and sprung for a private room. Dad and the doctor were talking close to the door, their backs turned away from me. I briefly wondered where Nora was, but I just figured she was in the waiting room or something.  
  
"You might want to keep a close watch on him, though. If he shows any signs of confusion or memory lapses, make sure to notify me immediately."  
  
Dad nodded, and turned back to my bed. Once he saw that I was awake, he rushed up to my bed. The doctor left quietly. I guess he wanted to give us some amount of privacy.  
  
"Marco," Dad said softly. He touched my face gently and swept the hair off my face.  
  
"Hey Dad," I replied, managing a weak grin though enormous amounts of pain. I felt a slight twinge of guilt, looking into his eyes. I scared the crap outta him doing what I did. But the guilt washed away soon. After all, he still wasn't a Yeerk.  
  
"What happened?" Dad asked, looking at my intently, searching my face for something. What?  
  
"I-I," I began, but I didn't know how to finish.  
  
"Can you remember Marco? Maybe I should get the doctor." Dad's voice was borderline frantic.   
  
"No!" I winced as another jolt of pain ran through my head. If there is one thing I really, truly hate besides saving the world, it's doctors. All that poking and prodding.....not too mention the needles.   
  
"I remember," I told him quietly, pausing long enough to buy myself some time. "I couldn't get to sleep. I was going downstairs to get a glass of milk, when I, um, I, lost my footing on the top of the stairs."  
  
Dad could tell there was something I wasn't telling him. He scrunched up his face and looked thoughtful. Suddenly, he leaned back, and a look of pure sadness washed over his face.  
  
"You had another dream again, didn't you, Marco?"  
  
"Yes. A dream," I repeated. I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but if he'd buy it, that was my story.  
  
"It was about Mom, wasn't it?" Dad gulped, and looked as if he were on the verge of tears.  
  
"Yeah," I said in a tiny voice. "About Mom." I felt horribly guilty. Now that Dad had found Nora, he didn't deserve to have to be reminded of why he's been grieving for the past couple years. No matter how much I still couldn't accept Nora and her stupid dog.   
  
Dad wrapped me in a tight hug. He kissed my cheek softly, which wasn't something he'd normally do, but it made me a feel a little better, in some odd way.   
  
"Marco....I'm sorry," Dad told me, breaking off our hug.  
  
"For what?" I asked. "It wasn't like you got behind me and shoved me down the stairs." Yeah, I got to do that part myself.  
Dad sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I haven't been spending enough time with you lately." Dad paused. "With work.....and Nora.....and um, all, we just haven't had time to just hang out."  
  
"It's okay," I told him quietly.  
  
"No, no, it's not," he replied, shaking his head. "You're my son, and I love you, and I want to spend more time with you. Things are going to change, Marco. I'm gonna take a little time off work, have some male bonding time, just the two of us." A hint of a smile played on his lips.  
  
Bingo! Now I just had to play it cool, and with any luck the Animorphs and I will have come up with our "master plan," before he went back to work.  
  
"But, Dad, what about your big project? Z-space, the cone, all those dimensions, not to mention the cash involved? Do you really want to spend all your time at home with me, instead of making us rich and buying me a jet-ski?" I forced a smile.  
  
Dad squeezed my hand gently. "I'd give up the world for you, Marco."  
  
I couldn't help it. I cracked up. My first real laugh in a long time. It felt good. After a few seconds, Dad joined in, his laugh sounding husky and funny to my ears. He hadn't laughed in awhile either.  
  
"Okay, that was pretty corny," I told him, after we finally stopped laughing.  
  
Dad grinned. "Yeah, I guess it was. But, I really am going to take some time off work and stay with you."  
  
"You don't have too," I reminded him quietly, all the while practically bursting with joy at the thought that he'd be okay, at least for now. Until then, well, I was just going to have to come up with a plan.  
  
"Sure I have to. Heck, I'm sick of work. All that boring science crap." Dad shook his head.  
  
"Face it, Pops, you're a science geek."   
Dad smiled and ruffled my hair. "Nora's in the waiting room. Are you up for more company?" I shook my head. "That's cool." Dad paused. "Does your head hurt a lot?"  
  
"Nope," I replied, lying through my teeth. "I could use a nurse though."  
  
"Blonde, brunette, or redhead?" Dad asked.  
  
"One of each, and I can die a happy camper," I joked. Dad smiled.  
  
"Anything I can get you, buddy?"  
  
"Nah, that's okay," I answered. "I'm fine. But, uh, Dad?"  
  
"Yeah, Marco?"   
  
"I'd like you to stay." God, I must've sounded corny, but when you almost lose your father to a race of mind controlling slugs, even I can get sentimental.  
  
"Sure, buddy," Dad replied, grinning.   
  
Dad stayed by my bed all night, and my head started to feel a little better.  
  
*****************************************  
  
I woke up with a great big yawn, letting out a small yelp as my head throbbed again. Note to self: DO NOT YAWN!  
  
Dad stood over my bed, smiling at me. "Mornin,' Sunshine," he joked. "You up for breakfast."  
  
"Nah, I'm not really hungry."  
  
"You sure, Marco?" Dad looked a little worried. "The doctor said lack of appetite could be a bad sign."  
  
I held up my hand. "Don't worry, Dad. I'm fine. Just not too hungry right now. Maybe later." I smiled reassuringly, hoping he'd calm down a bit.  
"Okay, then. If you're sure.......you have some visitors." He didn't even have to tell me who they were. It was the rest of the Animorphs. Who else?   
  
"Send 'em in," I requested.  
  
"Sure." He opened the door a crack, and peeked his head out. He said a few words, and turned back to me. "Okay. I'll give you all some privacy." He paused, considering something. "That blonde girl is very pretty." He raised an eyebrow, and I blushed. "Want to tell me about her?" He asked.  
  
"Ummmmm......no."  
  
He smiled, and left the room, opening the door wider for the others to come through. As soon as the doors were closed, we could discuss everything. First thing Rachel did, was open the window so a certain red-tailed hawk could enter the room. Everyone was there. Jake, Cassie, Rachel, Bird-Boy, and Ax, in his human form, of course.  
  
Rachel gave me a look of pure respect as she patted my knee. "Not bad, Shorty. You did good." Even if she was praising me for saving my father, she had to make some kind of joke about my height.  
  
Jake, as usual looked solemn and serious. "I heard all about the phone call and everything. Your dad told me. He also told me someone stopped by the hospital to tell him that that guy, Russ, was actually okay. That he didn't die. A wrongly identified body." He paused.   
  
"The Yeerks," Rachel hissed, pure hatred covering her normally pretty face. Actually that whole, I'm-about-to-rip-somebody-apart-limb-from-limb look kinda turned me on.  
  
What do we do now? Tobias asked in thought speak.  
  
"I'm not sure," Jake answered, sighing. "You got any bright ideas, Marco?"  
  
"There are only so many flights of stairs I can throw myself down, O' Fearless Leader," I replied, giving a mock salute.  
  
"We have to do something. We can't just let the Yeerks take Marco's dad," Cassie said, frowning.  
  
"Perhaps it would be wise to think this through. Ooo. Think things through. Ooo." Ax smiled with pure delight at the ending of 'through.'  
  
We were all dancing around the same thing. All of us knew our options. I wasn't sure I liked what would come next. It would take careful thinking. We'd all weigh the pros and the cons. Discuss everything through. Go over all our options, and what repercussions each one could bring about. There'd be a lot of arguing, and finally, we'd all make the choice.  
  
  
Jake heaved a sigh. "So, I say we take a vote. Do we tell Marco's dad about the Animorphs, or not?"  
  
My head suddenly felt a heck of a lot worse.  



	3. Stuff

Chapter 3  
  
I sucked in a deep breath. I wasn't sure which side I was on. Did I want to tell my dad and put him in possible danger, or not tell him and risk having him infested?  
  
"We need to make a list of pros and cons," Cassie said. She gave me a warm smile. I tried to smile back, but my lips wouldn't listen to me.  
  
"Pros are....." Jake began.  
  
We'd have an adult on our side.  
  
"A smart adult, who knows a lot about technology," Rachel added. Ax looked offended. "Uh, for a human," she corrected. Ax seemed to nod a little bit.  
  
"He can give us excuses for when we have to be out late," Jake offered, scratching the back of his neck.  
  
"Yeah," Cassie agreed. "I've already gotten grounded about a dozen times for being out past curfew. My parents would listen if Marco's dad defended me."  
  
"He wouldn't be a Yeerk," I told them quietly, focusing my eyes not on them, but instead on the light blue hospital gown I was wearing. I frowned. It had to be the ugliest thing I'd ever seen.  
  
I never knew my father very well. The whole room was silent for a few minutes after that.  
  
"He could give us the inside scoop on the Z-space project. See how far the labs have really gotten." Jake jammed his hands into his pockets and gave a weak smile.  
  
"Hey, maybe he'd let me ditch school after a big mission," I joked. They all laughed tensely. Everybody seemed to be on edge.  
  
"Cons?" Jake asked.  
  
"Well, he'd never let me out of the house once he learns that I put my life in danger on a daily basis." I leaned back in my pillow. "He'll wrap me up in bubble paper, and lock me in the basement. Hire a priest to throw holy water on me and get rid of 'the animal inside.' Anybody seen 'The Exorcist.' It burns, it burns!" I babbled on, but nobody shut me up. I could see pity in their eyes. Have I ever mentioned I hate pity? If not, well, now you know.  
  
"He might be a Yeerk," Jake said, in just above a whisper.  
  
"He's not," I replied, just as quietly, my voice cold and hard.  
  
"How can you know. Kno-oh, oh, oh. Know?" Ax, of course, was the speaker.  
  
"I'd know if he was. He can't be."  
  
"Maybe you just don't want him to be," Cassie said, quietly.  
  
"He's not," I assured them, feeling more than a little peeved. They didn't trust me one bit, and it was written all over their faces.  
  
Jake nodded, looking almost like he believed me. "Okay, then. Any other cons?"  
  
"Yeah. There's no way I could ever tell him that his wife is still alive," I told them, frowning. Dad didn't deserve that kind of pain.  
  
This time the period of silence lasted for about five minutes, before Rachel finally spoke up.  
  
"So.....we vote. Who wants to tell Marco's dad all about us." She paused for a second. "Except about Visser One, and who wants to shut up and forget we ever even considered it?"  
  
Jake nodded, something he'd been doing a lot of lately. "Tobias?"  
  
I'm all for it. Then he said to be in private thought-speech, I couldn't ask you to give up your father's freedom. I do know how you feel. I threw him a smile. He, out of all the Animorphs, could actually relate to what I was going through. The enemy had taken his father.   
  
"Rachel?"  
  
"Let's do it." Then Rachel smiled her crazy, reckless smile, and I groaned.  
  
"You do know, Xenia, that every time you say that, we are pretty much sentenced to death by Dracon." She rolled her eyes but didn't respond.  
  
"Cassie?"  
  
Cassie frowned and paced the room for a minute. She studied me carefully, probably looking to see if I had gone insane yet. Finally she spoke up. "Against my better judgment, but I say we have no choice. Marco might....." she blushed. "Never mind."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "No, go ahead and say it. Marco might tell his dad anyway, because Marco is crazy. He's a lunatic. He's nuts. He loves his dad so much he'd be willing to sacrifice his life and the lives of his friends to save him. Well guess what?" I screamed. "I'm not crazy! If anybody dies because of this, it'll be me, and only me, so you can just relax. I'm putting my own fat in the fire, not yours."  
  
Cassie looked really embarrassed but I didn't care right then. Jake continued on like I'd never screamed at them.  
  
"Ax?"  
  
"I vote-ote, as you, ouououu, do, Prince Jake. Ake. Rake. Bake. Take. So many words that end in 'ake.'" Ax went on marveling about the wonders of the English language.  
  
"And I vote yes," Jake said slowly, not even bothering to tell Ax not to call him 'Prince Jake.' He pitied me. It was so obvious. But at the moment, I really didn't care.  
  
"So I guess either way I vote, we're telling him, aren't we?"  
  
Nobody answered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was later in the day. The doctor had released me, and my dad was ready to get started on his father\son bonding plan. Nora had school, as did the Animorphs. First, Dad and I stopped by Blockbuster to pick out a few movies. He reluctantly let me come in with him. Wasn't like he was going to leave me in the car anyway.   
  
Nora had brought me some fresh clothes earlier. It was a nice gesture, but she managed to bring me clothes from the bottom of my closet that I hadn't worn in about two years. I looked pretty stupid, but nobody I knew would be in Blockbuster at 9AM so I didn't panic or anything.  
  
I scanned the aisles, never leaving Dad's side. He said we could get three movies, and I could pick two. He picked up "The Breakfast Club." I'd never seen it, but Dad said it was one of Mom's favorites, and she had watched it dozens of times when she was pregnant with me. I picked up "American Pie," and some R-rated horror flick about a bunch of scantily clad cheerleaders getting massacred by a mental institution escapee with a chain saw and a perverted mind. A heart warming film for the whole family in my book.  
  
After, we stopped at the supermarket and picked up some fudge brownie ice cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, the works. My dad couldn't cook anything to save his life, but he makes one hell of a sundae. Through the whole trip, Dad was really touchy-feely, putting his arm around me and stuff, acting very protective. It took a little getting used to, but I can't honestly say I minded. Gave me a false sense of security.   
  
Once we got home, and I changed into some clothes that actually fit, I sat down on the couch to wait for my dad to finish the sundaes so we could start watching the movie. I was a little jumpy. After all, today was the day that I was going to inform him that his only son was fighting a war against slug-like aliens. No biggie, right? Ha! See, the other Animorphs shoved the job on me. Their excuse? He's my dad, so I should do it. Okay, that is a pretty good excuse, but I'd like a little back up just in case things get a little weird.  
  
Dad soon came into the living room with two giant sundaes, each with a cherry on top, and one giant smile. He set the ice cream on the coffee table and flopped down on the couch next to me. I shivered. Dad noticed. He took the quilt off the back of the couch and wrapped me in it. I buried my head into his stomach, something I hadn't done in a long, long time. It was really comfortable. We started to watch the first movie, 'The Breakfast Club,' and started to eat our sundaes. Suddenly, I couldn't hold it in any longer.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Yeah, Marco?"  
  
"I can talk to you about anything, right?" Of course this wasn't just 'anything,' but I had to start somewhere, didn't I?  
  
Dad mussed up my hair a bit and grinned. "Of course you can, pal. What's on your mind?"  
  
"And no matter what I tell you, you won't freak out or anything, right?"   
  
Dad frowned. "Marco, are you on drugs?"  
  
"No, no, no." I shook my head. "I've been doing this all wrong." I sighed.  
  
"Marco, what's wrong. Are you feeling okay?" Dad's concern grew.  
  
"I'm fine, Dad."  
  
"Did you get that girl pregnant?" Dad asked, raising his voice.  
  
"No, no, that's not it either," I replied, turning bright red. My dad had had a hard enough time giving me the "birds and the bees" talk. When he tried to, he'd turn all red, and start to laugh, and act like an idiot.   
  
Dad clutched his heart. "Oh, thank God," he mumbled.  
  
"Look, Dad, I have to tell you something. No, I need to show you something. And you have to swear that you will never tell another living soul. You have to promise to do exactly as I say." I looked him straight in the eye. He looked confused.  
  
Dad raised in eyebrow. "Gee, all this time I thought I was the dad, and you had to exactly as I said." He smiled to show he was joking, but I was nervous just the same. "Now, Marco. Tell me what's wrong. I'm your dad. If you can't tell me, who can you tell?"  
  
"Okay.....but I warned you." I sat up a little, and slowly started to morph.  
  
  
  



	4. More Stuff

A\N: Okay, so it's been awhile since my last installment. Sorry. Stuff happens. Poo-poo does occur. A lot of not so good things happened and I needed a long time to cool down and get over some pretty terrible losses. Anyway, I'm back now. I don't know why, I don't know how, all I know is that I made it this far, so why not go the extra mile? Enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
I focused totally on the gorilla. I figured since it was one of the first animals I'd acquired, I could probably morph easier. I knew how emotions could get in the way of the morphing process, and my emotions were running pretty high.   
  
The look on my dad's face changed from one of gentle happiness to a mix between blatant horror and morbid curiosity.   
  
"Marco! What's going on? Are you sick?"  
  
I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was 'AGGUU.' Instead I rolled my still human eyes. Here I was, a mutant cross between a gorilla and a boy, and he was asking if I was sick.  
  
Dad didn't say another word until I was done morphing. His back was up against the wall, and I think he was praying.   
  
(Dad?)  
  
"Wha-What's that?" Dad looked terrified. "Who said that? Marco?" He looked straight into my gorilla eyes, perhaps trying to find me somewhere in there.  
  
(It's me, Dad.)  
  
"I hear you....in my head. Oh, God. I'm going insane."  
  
(No, you're not) I assured him. (Everything is fine)  
  
"No, it's not." Dad paced the room. "This is not normal. THIS IS INSANE!!" Hmmmm, where had I heard that before? "My son cannot turn into a monkey!"  
  
(Gorilla) I corrected him.   
  
Dad completely ignored that comment. "What have you done with my son? Where is he?" By now, tears were running down his face.   
  
(Dad, it's me.) I made my voice as light and soothing as I could possibly make it.   
  
"Where is he, you freak? You're not my son!" Dad grabbed the first thing in sight, a coat rack, and held it up in defense.   
  
(Dad, put the coat rack down. You're not going to do much damage. Now just calm down. We need to talk.)  
  
"Calm down? Calm down? How can I?" Dad ran his free hand through his hair. "An overgrown monkey is sitting in my living room, trying to pass as my son."  
  
(DAD!) I thought screamed. I started to morph back to human. This was going to be harder than I expected.  
  
"You're not Marco," Dad repeated, gulping loudly. Still, he watched me change back into my normal self, fascinated and disgusted at the same time. Well, at least I knew he wasn't a Yeerk.  
  
"I'm Marco," I told him softly.   
  
"How can I know that....if you were just....you were just....you know?"   
  
"I know things only Marco could know. I know that in the third grade you had to work and missed the father\son picnic and I refused to speak to you. And then after..." I sucked in a deep breath, trying to fight back the tears that were coming too soon. "After, you made it up by letting me ditch school and taking me camping. I know that you were there last year when I had the German measles. I remember you waiting on me all day long, never leaving my side. And how you'd sing me to sleep, even if you always were a terrible singer." I swallowed. Was he buying this?  
  
"And I remember when I was little and had nightmares, you always let me come into your room and we'd go downstairs and get some ice cream. Then we'd watch late night TV and fall asleep on the couch. I remember when I was ten and you caught me kissing that girl Kelly, behind the school. I remember when I was in second grade and had a crush on my music teacher, Ms. Price, and you were the only one I had the guts to tell."  
  
My father's face turned fifty shades paler with each word. Finally, I fell silent, and he wrapped me in a giant bear hug, his tears mixing in with mine. And he still had no clue about the Yeerks.  
  
"Oh, God, Marco. What's going on?" He whispered never letting me go.  
  
Soon, I had him settled down, and on the couch. I proceeded to tell him everything. About the Yeerks. The Chee. Elfangor. The morphing cube. Andalites. The other Animorphs. Some of our missions. Visser 3. Controllers. Everything. The scientist in him was like a kid in a candy store. All scientists, even if they won't admit it, believe at least partly that aliens are out there. The dad in him, however, was immediately worried.  
  
"You-you've been doing this for how long?" He asked, his face trembling.   
  
"A couple years," I mumbled.  
  
Suddenly I was in his lap, and he was rocking me slowly, and crying. I felt like such a little kid, but it was a good feeling. Most little kids aren't fighting a war like I am.  
  
"Marco, oh, God, why didn't you tell me? I would've helped you out." Dad's face looked as if it were about to split in two.  
  
"I didn't think you could handle it," I whispered. "You had too much on your mind and all......and well," I swallowed, "You coulda been one of them."  
  
Dad didn't say anything for a long time and neither did I. Finally, after an eternity of silence, Dad sighed. I took that as my cue to speak.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Yes, Markie?" My dad asked, using his old nickname for me. It sounded weird, possibly because he hadn't called me that since I turned seven.  
  
"We need a plan. I'm not going to let them take you."  
  
Dad stroked my hair softly, and kissed the top of my head. "What do you have in mind?" He finally asked.  
  
"I have a plan," I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. "You're not gonna like this, and I'm not too fond of it either, but it's the only way." 


End file.
